ECS Blog

- Bookings for our English Summer boarding camps are going really well with all courses filling fast. We continue to limit the number of students attending who speak the same mother tongue - we don't accept groups from any one country - so consequently the variety of nationalities on the course is as usual very good. This is important because we want our pupils to speak English together while they mix and make new friendships with their peers from different countries and cultures. We have put together a really strong staff team with all of the senior posts filled by

All parents and enquirers should by now have received our Spring Update with the latest news from ECS. If you have not received yours, please

Happy New Year from everyone at ECS this January 2022!

We hope our Season's Greetings card pictured here reflects everyone's desire for a better future after these turbulent two years with Covid.

At ECS we aim to give children and teenagers a better future by equipping them with the skills, knowledge and confidence they will need to face the challenges and excitements of tomorrow.

We also aim to help create a better future for the planet by putting sustainability at the heart of everything we do. We have a wonderful partner in Port Regis School, the venue for our summer

March 3 2022

Covid restrictions lifting in England

The UK government has announced that all Covid restrictions will be lifted in England from April 2022.

We will take every step necessary to ensure the safety and wellbeing of everyone during our courses. The countryside campus at Port Regis is spacious and private with excellent facilities, and we are confident that we will be able to run a safe and enjoyable course this summer.

We will continue to keep you informed and offer a money-back guarantee if your child is unable to travel due to Covid. 

November 2021

Thank you to

At ECS we care deeply about our pupils and the world they will inhabit in the future. That's why we put sustainability at the heart of everything we do. To mark the important UN climate talks at COP26 we have produced a new teaching resource around the poem Earthrise by Amanda Gorman and the film of the same name by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee. Both the poem and the film express something that we care about very much at ECS: a sense of community and commitment to each other and our one home, the Earth, that transcends national boundaries. We hope you

Today (5 November 2021) is Friday and for many young people around the world that means Fridays for Future, the youth movement started by a young girl sitting alone outside the Swedish parliament. Greta  was soon joined by others and today let’s celebrate youth activists at COP 26 and everywhere who have courageously stepped up to hold their elders to account for the future of the planet and its people: people like Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Dominika Lasota  and Vanessa Nakate  and ECS's very own Jule Schnakenberg!

You can support them right now by joining the

We are now taking bookings for Summer 2022

The Covid situation is easing in most countries and, as with most epidemics, we are hoping that the third small wave we have experienced in the UK will be our last.

This has been a challenging time for everyone. We have been forced to adopt new methods of working such as teaching and holding meetings online. We will retain many of these practices which strengthen, support and diversify our offering. However, our core business remains real, physical summer courses, bringing children and teenagers together from many different countries to enjoy fun, friendship

The uncertainty over foreign travel continues. In all countries there is contradictory information over possible scenarios in July and August. We await clarification from the UK government and in the meantime advise against making irreversible travel arrangements. We are still hoping and planning to run our course this summer. If you have already booked a place, please be optimistic and patient. If you have not yet booked, you can do so in confidence: we offer a money-back guarantee if we have to cancel the course or if your child is unable to travel due to official government restrictions in your

We're delighted to be running online activities for all ages this Easter, 5 - 9 April.

7 - 11 year olds can enjoy YOGLISH: Yoga with English

11 - 13 year olds can enjoy FUNGLISH: you guessed it, Fun with English!

14 - 17 year olds can meet up with their friends and join qualified life coach Steve Dumain to learn some key concepts of life skills to help them navigate their lives.

For prices and registration please see https://www.countryschools.co.uk/english-programme/online-english-lessons

YOGLISH - YOGA IN ENGLISH!

I’m sure we can all agree that the best way to learn a foreign language is through immersion and practical application. One great way to do that is through a yoga class!  Now, more than ever, physical activity is important for health - so, why not combine a good workout with a language class?

Practicing yoga and learning foreign languages have more in common than you might imagine and they are both fantastic ways to exercise one’s mind.

Why is yoga important for children?

Children these days are busy. Practicing yoga helps kids to relax,

18 March 2021

Here in the UK Spring has arrived and with it a renewed feeling of optimism. Sarah and I had our first vaccinations recently with no side effects. Nearly 20 million adults in the UK have been vaccinated for Covid-19. Under current trends all adults will have been offered the vaccine by the summer. All UK restrictions are due to end on 21 June.

It is difficult to believe that just a few weeks ago we were in the middle of a pandemic disaster. Vaccinations have been a complete game changer. While we appreciate the situation remains challenging

Those who are very observant may have noticed a new accreditation logo at the bottom of our home page: Green Standard Schools. This is in recognition of our commitment to put sustainability at the heart of everything we do - so that we come out of Covid-19 fit for the future. You can read more here.

Here we go again! As of 4 January 2021 the UK is back into national lockdown as a means of trying to control the number of Coronavirus cases. We welcome this if it helps the nation to get ahead of the virus - and this time we have the promise of vaccines to help us overcome this problem once and for all.

By the summer we hope this will all be a distant memory. We have every intention of running our courses in July and August. Parents can book in confidence as we are offering a money-back

Summer 2020 was the first summer in over thirty years when - due to Covid-19 - we had to cancel our courses. Now, with the promise of new vaccines and a gradually improving situation, we are hoping to fully reopen for Summer 2021.

Young people in particular have had a hard time during the crisis, often confined to home, unable to mix with their peers at school or get outside to play and meet friends. ECS in Summer 2021 will offer a wonderful and much needed change of scene and an opportunity for them to engage once again with real

We are delighted to announce that British Council Accreditation for ECS - English Country Schools - is now extended to include our online English courses. This means that parents can choose online English lessons with ECS with the assurance that they are covered by the same safeguarding and quality standards that you expect from a British Council Accredited English language organisation.  Part of the procedure involved completing the Accreditation UK Code of practice for online ELT. You can find this and a list of other UK language schools that are also covered to safely teach English online at https://www.britishcouncil.org/education/accreditation/centres

What is Coronavirus and should I be worried for my child attending an English Language course in England this summer?

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an illness that can affect the lungs and airways of sufferers. The danger of a virus can be measured in two ways: 

1. By the total number of people who contract the virus and the number of deaths resulting.

2. By the danger to an individual who contracts the virus.

On the first measure - the total number of people - there is concern over COVID-19 because the

Do you remember those Marlboro cigarette adverts? The ones in which rugged cowboys  smoked cigarettes against a romantic desert backdrop? They were a successful attempt to capture a false but widely shared narrative about America’s past and use it to sell a product that would kill people. Smokers, worried about dying from their addiction, could displace that grim thought with the idea of a cigarette as a gun: a necessary weapon in a tough world, where life is a lottery and the cigarette signifies strength, manliness and even a quick death.

In the same way, perhaps, the fossil

Over the past few weeks we have been very busy putting the finish touches to the new ELT Footprint UK  web site in preparation for the launch at English UK ELT Conference in London this weekend. The talk went well and the new web site has been well received. The site aims to provide UK English Language Teaching organisations with everything they need to know in order to operate in an environmentally responsible way. ECS has always strived to act with environmental responsibility and is proud to be taking a lead in this initiative to spread good practice across